When Green Bay Packers legend and long-time quarterback, Brett Favre, left Wisconsin in 2008 to join the New York Jets no one really cared. Pack fans weren’t happy that he was leaving, but at least he wouldn’t get in their way moving forward.
2009 is when things got ugly. After an uneventful season with the Jets, Favre retired and came back with the Minnesota Vikings. You know, the Packers division rivals? So yeah, that didn’t fly in Green Bay.
Since then, there have been two sections of Packer fans: those who still loved Favre and thanked him for his years and Super Bowl XXXI victory with the team, and then those who would put him with the likes of Benedict Arnold.
Well, in his first appearance in Lambeau Field since the 2010 matchup between the Vikings and Packers, Favre wasn’t booed as he was back then. Instead, the crowd of Packers fans greeted Favre with a four-minute standing ovation that nearly made the quarterback burst into tears on stage.
“All I dreamed about as a kid were Archie Manning, Roger Staubach. I never dreamed of being in the Hall of Fame, never dreamed of having my jersey retired, never dreamed of Pro Bowls,” said Favre during the induction ceremony. “Did I dream about playing in Super Bowls? Absolutely. All of the dreams I ever had have come true, and then some.”
One Super Bowl ring; 11 Pro Bowls; and all-time NFL records for wins, passing yards, competitions, and consecutive starts. I think that’s a Hall of Fame career in any book.
Of course, Favre couldn’t go through the whole speech without some kind words for the team and 67,000 fans that came out to see the ceremony:
“Playing at Lambeau Field, running out of the tunnel, throwing a touchdown at Lambeau Field, there’s nothing like it on the Earth. Believe me, I have played elsewhere, there is absolutely nothing like this place. Where else can you can get this many people in a stadium when there’s not a game?
“All I can say is I hope it was as much fun for them watching me as it was for me to do it every week.”
After five years, it looks like things may finally be cool between Brett Favre and the fans again.